A C H U H I Y E R S I T A T I S L O D Z I E K S I S FOLIA OBCONOMICA 6 5 , 1986
Tadeusz Olszewski*
THE BEŁCHATÓW MINING AND POWER PRODUCING DISTRICT
The papers which are to be presented at the Anglo-Polieh semlnar by Janina Bemacka-Baranowa and Nina Kołatek conoern the sapie main problem, Tis.the Industrlal impaot on agrieulture in an area whioh is being lntenslvely industriallzed. The area of oonoern has a particular naturę, as it has been developed as a large minlng and power producing oomplei.
Near to the former smali oountry town Bełchatów, some 40 km south-west from Loda, rich brown ooal deposltes have been de- tected. They amoant to 1.2 milliard tons with a heat value 6.9 - 9.0 KJ/kg (1650-2150 kcal/kg - 6550-8530 BTU/kg). As it has been located almost centralły in the oountry, it can play an outstandlng role in sapplying Central Poland with relatiyeiy cheap electrioity. Within the radius of 150 km there are aitu- ated such large oitles and industrlal oentrea, as Loda, Warsaw, Radom, Kleloe, Kraków, Katowice, Opole, Wrocław,Częstochowa and many other ooncentrating ln their adn»iniatrative boundarlos some 6 railiłon inhabltants. So, it has been deoided to bulld oc open cut minę with an yearly output of some 40 million tons of fuel, which can run a power plant with an installed capaolty of 4300 MW and the yearly production of about 27 milliard kWh, one fourth of the present country*a output. The total lnrestment program reąuires a Tery large area, estimated at over 6000 ha, the bulk being needed for open out mine and heaplng up the un- productiTe orerlayer. At least two thlrte of this aorage will ex- tend on arabie land.
The exploitation of ooal presents numerous technical and eoonomio problema. First of all, the unproduotiye orerlayer ls
aProfee8or, Department of Space Eeonomy, Instltute of Re gional Polioy, OniTersity of Lodz.
thick, in ayerage H O m. Howeyer, the ooal seam ayerages 54 m,
bo the relation between the unproduetiye and produotiye lsyers is rather adyantageous, as it rangęs two and a half to one. Well, the yearly remoye of unproduetiye materiał amounts to 110-130 million tons, which are to be deposited not too far from the ex- cayation. Por a long time span the heaped up materia! disengages large areas from any biotic production, amounting to some 2000 ha,
The hollowing out the mine is a specifio technical scope. Of course, the oyerlayer ls composed mainly of loose sedimentary rocka, and therefore the opening surface ls to be many times larger than the bottom. Thns, the engagement of agricultural and forested land is much greater than it would be in the case the oyerlayer was composed of solid materiał, as e.g. in Kolonia Brown Coal District, Western Germany, or Latrobe Yałley, Yicto- ria in Australia, where the largest world energetio centres had been deyeioped on the base of open cut erpłoitation of lignite.
The loose composition of the oyerlayer inyolyes two other burdensome after-effeetsj soli desiccation, and instability of slopes. Through the loose texture water easily leaches out into the deep hole, from where it is to be puraped out. Thus, double harras start up: deterioration of agricultural and forested land in the radius of some tens kilometers as a conseguenoe of desic cation of soils and water shortage in agricultural farma, espe- cially needed for animal raising and household management, as well. The deep breaking into the rooks structure destabilizes their inner pressure eąuilibrium, so sporadio earth tremors and landsłips occur.
The construction and functioning of the large power plant inyolye both the diainution of agricultural and forested land, and profound changes in tho ecological conditions of biotoc pro duction, and human life as well. The most dsngerous and harm- ful the air pollutiou is. Burning of some 40 million tons lig nite yearly emits ir.to the air an enormous emount of combustion gaoes, celculatei at 10.4 g SCv per 1 kWh totalling 280.000 tons per year on atrerage, big oxide masses of carbon, nitrogen, etc. In the same time huge aaases of the finest dust particles.
whieh cannot he oaught away hy electrofiltres, penetrate into the air. In order to diminiah the ooncentration of air paUuting aubatances superhigh smokeatacka (300 m) haye heen bullt. By means of them the air pollution subatances are carried out in an altitude of aome 600 m, Of course, the state of emergency in the cloee area of the plant haa been reduced by thia way, yet the norious influence on men, flora and fauna haa been yirtual- ly widely diffuaed.
Simultaneoualy with deep environmentał changes cssential alterationa take place in socio-economio structure. Pirat of all, a ąuite new employment structure is £Oing to be oreated. Acoording to the prognostic atudies in the whole area of the Bełchatów Industrial District employment ln agriculture will drop from 32,000 to 20,000 (at 38#), outside of agriculture it will riae from 59,100 to 102,300 (at 73#s in mlning, energy and construction at 73#, ln oth«Sr branches at 64#). The deepest changes will take plaoe in country settlement units, auch as vił- lages and smali towns. Total population number is expected to rise from 140,000 in 1975 to more than,215,000 in 1990 (at 55#), but ±n the main residential and administratiye towna the growth will be muoh faater. So, e.g. there ia to be expected ln Piotrkow Trybunalski, the Yioyodehlp oentre, the lnorease fjrom 84,000 to 136,000 (62#), and in Bełchatów, the main residential centre of workers and medium technical staff, from 20,000 to 41,000 (101#). In recłity, the population growth of Bełchatów has surpassed ey®ry erpeotation, as it reached the foreseen number for 1990 already in 1983. Together with the fast urban population in- creaae the aocial and technical infrastruoture is being expand- edt water supply and sewerage faoilities with clearing devlcesr central heating plants, pipę gas, hospitals and other medioal Anstitutions, schoola and preschool edooation unita, reereation, sport and free-time arrangements, eto. The reconstruction of urban settlement unita aims step by step at the raoderniuation and betterment of the liying quality of their inhabitants.
Transformationa, ehortly signałled aboye, łead to deep changes in agriculture. The continued shrinkage of agricułtural land together with the diminutłon of manpower reduce the number
of farma. Agrioultural production auffera losaeB under the im- pact of ecological degradation, whereas the demand for agrioul tural producte increases fast both, under the pressure of growing number of population and its sooial transformation, and growing faaily income as well. These sharp discrepanciea,which are steadily inoreasing, challenge rational and far-eighted eco nomio policy and planning, in order to limit negatiye processes and fayour the adyantageous transformations.
The Department of Space Eeonomy in the Institute of Region al Policies at the Uniyersity of lodz has been for many years inyolyed in these questions. By systematio studies it is con- cerned to identify both the state of affalrs and the deyelop ment tendencies. By this way it is meant to supply the adminis-
tratiye and planning authorities with yirtual backgrounds for appropriate decision making. *
The presented papers are only a fragmentary element of the research work.
Mrs. N.Kołatek endeayoura to tracę back the influence of industrial transformations on the ownership structure of agri- cultural land. In the first induatrializatlon phase (1974-1982) some 5000 h£ were transferred from the private sector to the State Land Fund1, whioh together with the formerły taken oyer acreage surpassed 6000 ha. Prom this area almost two tMrds were transmitted to the socialistic sector, and less than one fourth to the priyate one.Biere vas intended both creation of new farma and enlargement of already existing, which were too smali to be effectiye enough. This turn-oyer of land differentiated clearly in spatial patterns, and farm size structure, aa well.
In generał, there was to be obseryed a tendency,whioh could be called a połarization process of farms. It meana that the number of farma in extremal size groups was remarkably inereased, yiz. in the undersized (bełow 2 ha) end the largest ones (oyer 7 and 10 ha). In the medium slee (2-7 ha) somewhat of selection was brought aboutj some of them dieappeared oom- pletely, aorce othera divided their property into email parcela
^Implementation of thia transfer ia being presented in Krs. Kołatek paper.
(plota) for gardening and recreationał purposes.and the remain- ing enlarged their acreage by buying in land from the State Land Fund.
The regularity mentioned abova manifested a particular spa- tial picture, yis. the decreasing process hoth, in number of faraa and their ayerage size, went on in the central area of the Industrial Dlatrict, i.e. around the coal mine and the power plant. The reason of it may be o b y i o u s , i m m e d i a t e vicinity of large establishments creating a huge number of labour places forces peasants to look after Jobs with high wages and regular working time, connected eimultaneously with broadly deyeloped social serrices. Smali land plots, howeyer, were usually retained as an additional source of family income, and object of hobbistic activity. It cannot be excluded, that a number of biprofessional persons intended also to organize step by step (aa the finanoial means haye been aocumulated) hothousee for growing vegetables and flowers. Of oourse, this kind of economio actlvity leads in the ąuickest way to become in Poland mlllionaire, indeed.
The same process is being under way in the yicinity of Beł chatów, the aain residential centre of workers and medium tech nical staff. In the time span 1974-1982 the decreasing rate of farm number and total area was about 20%.
The opposite tendenoy of increasing both, the number and ayerage size of farma speeded dlstinctly in the outer fringe of the Bełchatów Industrial District, mo3tly to the North and South of the expanded industrial project, where the enyironmental conditions for agrioulture seem to be more favourable than eleewhere. Since the earły 80-ties this process haa been re- markabły supported by the financial etate policy, as the bank credit for enlargement and technical eąuipment of farms has been easily given at low interest ratea, and the extinction of in- debtedness can bo granted proportionally to the investments dons.
Well, the etated prooesa of agricultural land-flow seems to be a logie model, and from the economic point cf view proais- lng well. The inner area of the District has been clearly sub- ordinated to the needs of the big producing establishments
Tadeuas Olszewski
and paople living here. The outer friage la going to constitute a food zone for the consuraer market, whlch tenda to be larger and larger.
However,there isn*t but one still unknown quantity, viz.how agriculture may thrive here, as the agroecological conditions will steadily ohange into worse and woree ąuality, The impaot of air pollution and soil desiccation will riae, the proteotive function of forests and woods will decline. Simultaneously, there will ariae quite a new qaeBtion, what the sanitary value of agricultural products raised here may be in the futurę.
Seriously, the question is to be put to the plannera and politiciaha, ln order the premise "apres nous le deluge1* should be not aasumed. On the other hand, how to master the inevitable fate: energy is to be produced on the baae of media every soci- ety haa to its own?
Mrs. J.Bernacka-Baranowa tries to rosearch the Industrial impaot on animal production. Thia question haa an outstanding rank, as the food coneumption model changes very faat along with the change of soolety from rural to urban, and the family income increase* Generally, the pressure of animal Prod ucts grows quicker than lt deolines on plant food.
Animal raising used to be determined by a lot of factors: 1) fodder supplyj
2) labour resources in agrloulture;
3) technical equipraent of homesteada, eapecially with water and sanitary devices, mechanic tools for feeding and getting the finał productsj
4) market demand;
5) price relations between plant and animal products, and between the main animal products themselves.
This wide complex of factors has been changing in Poland for the whole period of the People's Republic. Thus, the instabili- ty of agricultural policy influenoes currently deoision-making of farmera.
Cattle raiaing ia mainly based on grass land and fodder plants grown on fielda. In the area of concarn the ahare of grassland in the total agricultural land is not high„ At worae,
ln many placea the graaa yleld per hectare declinea as the soiI desiccation proceeds. Partnera attampt to compenaate łoesea with enląrging the field acreaga deyoted to fodder oropa. So, the fodder coats increase and the prices relations between plant and animal production pląy the more and more decisiye role.
In the period of studies the pricea for animal products were fixed unfavourabły. So, farmera usually preferred growing food cropa, mainly rye and potatoes, as the predominant aandy soils did not allow to extend more yałuable crops. Thinga being na they were, most pig raiaing waa discouraged. Similar phenomenon waa to be obaerved in eheep raiaing. Mutton and lamb are not commonly oonaumed in Poland. Th® main purpose of sheep raiaing are wool and fura. Aa the fodder shortag© became more and more acute, aheep were loaing their corape- titiye value.
Price relations between main animal products, meat and milk, until ąuite lately favoured rather meat than milk produo- tion. So, aimultaneoualy with the generał decłine of cattłe atock (fodder ahortage!) the atructure of herd remarkably ohanged. The milk cow number drópped at a hlgher rate than the total deoline.
Changea of the aame kind were alao provoked by labour exodus from agrieulture. As it ia commonly known, animal raiaing, ea- pecialły dairy farming, engages much manuał work when tech nical eąuipment does not replace it. And thia was the caae (and ia stiil now) in the researched area.
Proceaaea ahortly recorded above do not deyeiop egually all oyer the area. To aome degree they reflect similar tendenoies as they were stated by Mra. Kołatek in her atudy. Howeyer, the epatial pattern ia not aa elear as in the case of land-flow and farm-alse structure. Well, the picture ia being dlmmed by price lerele ar.d relations. One industrlal łmpact on animal ^cdi retlott ie out of any doubt, vis. the negatiye influenco of iałcur flow from agrieulture to non-agri o ultural Joba.
For plannera and politicians tnere la a crucial soope to be 3olved in the neareat futurę: to master the problem, because animal foodatuffa are badly needed now, and the eocial pressure on them will steadily inorease.
Tadeusz Olszewski
BEŁCHATOWSKI OKRĘG GÓRUICZO-ENERGETYCZNY
Bełchatowski Okręg Górniczo-&3ergetyczny rozwija się na ba zie bogatych złóż węgla brunatnego wydobywanych odkrywkowo oko ło 40 km na południowy-zachód od Łodzi. Roczne wydobycie paliwa wyniesie docelowo około 40 min t, zaź łączna zainstalowana moc elektrowni 4300 MW. Cała inwestycja zajmuje ponad 6000 ha ziemi i zatrudnia kilkadziesiąt tysięoy osób. Nastąpią więc istotne przeobrażenia w użytkowaniu ziemi, w aieci Osadniczej oraz w strukturze społeczno-gospodarczej obszaru. Jednocześnie pojawią się wysoes skomplikowane problemy środowiskowe.
Przedsięwzięcie na tak wielką skalę wymaga m.in. badarf nau kowych z różnego zakresu. Zakład Gospodarki Przestrzennej Uni wersytetu Łódzkiego od lat w nich uczestniczy. Niniejszym pub likuję krótkie sprawozdanie ze studiów nad wpływem inwestycji na przeobrażenia zachodzące na badanym obszarze: pierwsze -
